1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a fuel cell stack.
2. Description of Related Art
In a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-294492 (JP 2006-294492 A), for example, in relation to a method of manufacturing a fuel cell stack, fuel cells are laminated using a tension plate and a bolt, whereupon aging processing is performed to advance initial creep by exerting a compressive load on the fuel cell stack. Following the aging processing, the fuel cell stack is tightened by rotating an adjusting screw provided in an endplate.
In the manufacturing method described in JP 2006-294492 A, however, the adjusting screw used to tighten the fuel cell stack has a large size relative to the size of the stack, and moreover, a mechanism used to tighten the stack is complicated. As a result, an increase occurs in an overall weight of the fuel cell stack. Demand therefore exists for a technique with which a fuel cell stack can be manufactured with a simpler configuration. Furthermore, in a conventional fuel cell stack manufacturing method, demand exists for a reduction in a manufacturing cost of the fuel cell stack, simplification of manufacturing facilities, and so on.